On August 24th, Japan began discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean, a process that might continue for decades. This action has drawn widespread opposition from neighboring countries, including China, Russia, and South Korea.
In response to Japan’s decision, an artist known as the “Chinese War Wolf artist,” Wuhe Qilin, released a new piece of art dripping with satire, titled “Perishing with Humanity, Aren’t You, Bastard?”
The artwork depicts a mutated giant fish monster kneeling on the sea surface. The creature wears ancient Japanese armor, with a crown symbolic of the Japanese emperor, the “Rirengu crown”, on its head. Two atomic bombs are embedded in its body, with a Japanese samurai sword plunged into its abdomen. Furthermore, shackles and handcuffs can be seen around the monster’s neck and hands, with it disgorging vast amounts of pollutants into the sea.
Analysts interpret this artwork as a portrayal of Japan as a mutated monster, suggesting that after facing nuclear radiation, the nation has become unrecognizable. The art sharply criticizes the Japanese government’s “perverted, demonized mentality” of making the entire human race pay for its decisions.
The piece also satirizes Japan as the “guilty party.” The act of discharging nuclear wastewater is seen as revenge for the nuclear attacks it suffered during World War II at the hands of the U.S. The samurai sword in the creature’s abdomen alludes to the Japanese ritual act of “seppuku” or “harakiri” – a form of ritual suicide by disembowelment to restore honor.
Below the artwork, both Japanese and English text read: “On August 24, 2023, the sinful beast began its retaliation against the world.”
Netizens commented:
- “The Yamato nation shares its ‘radiant fortune’.”
- “Does humanity still have a future?”
- “I feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness.”
- “I genuinely pity marine creatures, suffering simply because they can’t react like humans.”
- “At first, nobody noticed this disaster. It was just a wildfire, a drought, a species’ extinction, a city’s disappearance, until it affected everyone.”
Notably, on World Oceans Day in 2021 (June 8th), Wuhe Qilin released an artwork titled “Island”, mocking Japan’s nuclear wastewater disposal and its damage to the oceans. “Island” portrays a boy sitting on a decaying whale, with a colossal gorilla seated on Earth in the distance. Floating whale carcasses fill the space between them, while rising sea levels submerge almost half of the planet.
Additionally, the official media, People’s Daily, also posted a picture today, stating: “History will remember today, noting that around 1 pm local time on August 24, Japan released its nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.” It added that Japan’s actions were extending its pain to future human generations.